My Philosophy

The Essentials

Learning to play the guitar is only one piece of the overall picture. There is much to learn about gear, performance, being in a band, style, originality, and so on. Not only will I guide you through the art of unlocking the fret board, but I can also help you understand the “big picture” when it comes to playing guitar. Whether you just want to sit around the house and play for fun, be a solo performer, or be a lead guitarist in a band, I can help you understand what it takes to achieve that goal and do it the right way. I can also help you understand your gear and how it all works. Getting a good sound is just as important as playing! In the next four paragraphs, I describe what I think is essential to playing guitar.

Tuning:

This in my opinion is THE most important item when playing a guitar. There is nothing more unpleasant than listening to someone play a guitar that isn’t tuned. Believe it or not, I’ve seen guys that have been playing for 20+ years in bands that still don’t understand the importance of tuning. Buy yourself a reliable tuner and keep it with you at all times. It’s also essential that you mute your guitar before tuning if you're guitar is amplified. Tuning with your amp cranked is a dead giveaway that you are not a professional.

Intonation:

If your guitar is not properly intonated, the best tuner in the world won’t do much good. In a nutshell, proper intonation means that each string is adjusted to the perfect length that it should be for that string. You can research the finer details yourself, but just know that this is essential. You can take your guitar to a music shop and have the intonation “set up” by a skilled Luthier or guitar technician. This is also a skill that is easy to learn and should be considered. Guitar techs aren’t always available at 11 o’clock at night when you are gigging and your drummer knocks your guitar over getting back to his drum kit!

Practice:

One of the coolest sayings I’ve ever come across in my life is that “A talent is a pursued interest…” What does this mean? It means that if you want it bad enough, you’ll get it! If you practice your guitar with intent and heart, you will be a good player. If you think that it’s going to be magical, or that just by taking lessons you will become good, its probably not going to happen. Practice is essential. Play as much as you can. Practice doesn’t always have to be structured either. Anytime you are playing your guitar, you are gaining experience, dexterity, strength, and improving muscle memory.

Style:

Individual style is just as important as having skill. I see so many players trying as hard as they can to copy or emulate another guitar player that they think is “cool”. What they don’t realize is what makes that guitar player “cool” is that they have their own style and are unique. Don’t confuse this with influence. We are all influenced by our guitar heroes, but that in itself is much more subtle. Strive to do your own thing, develop your own sound, and be unique yourself. At the end of the day, skills are important, but it’s more about the vibe and sound that you give off as a player that is essential.

I remember this using the acronym T.I.P.S. ®